7 Effective Coaching Models

There are coaches in nearly every niche: fitness, business, careers, relationships, mental health, personal growth, and more. Coaching helps people find balance and contentment with life and achieve desired outcomes. Yet the choice of coaching model often defines how successful a coach can be.

This guide introduces some practical coaching models and explains how the right approach to coaching can help you develop your unique coaching style and deliver outstanding results for your clients. 

What is a coaching model?

In a nutshell, a coaching model is a methodology for building your coaching program.

A coaching model provides a framework for creating an action plan to guide clients from their current state to where they’re heading until they reach what they want.

A coaching model is generally built upon the following steps:

• Considering where the client currently is and clarifying their intent
• Identifying potential barriers on the way to the client’s goal
• Helping the client envision their coaching journey to their desired destination
• Developing an action plan
• Measuring the client’s performance and progress towards achieving the goal

Why you need a coaching model in your practice

As a coach, you may have a strict schedule, with five or more daily sessions. Yet each client has their own specific needs, problems, and goals. You must be flexible and be able to quickly switch your coaching style. Of course, you can set buffer times between your coaching sessions and have time to wind down. Yet this is your break time for resting, taking notes, or doing personal things. You should get ready for your coaching sessions in advance. Choosing a suitable coaching model is essential in order to stay on track and maintain productivity.

There are four essential reasons why you should use a coaching model in your practice: 

1. A coaching model lets you structure individual or group sessions. Without a quality coaching session plan, you risk not addressing the client’s key issues to reach the client’s goal and may end up with disappointed clients.
2. You can make an individual action plan for each client. Using a coaching model, you create a cohesive plan for your coaching sessions. So that you can easily review the client’s goals, control the client’s progress, check your notes, add new ones, and remind yourself of the next step you will work on with the client.
3. Clients will become more self-aware and conscious of their goals. When you use a coaching model, the client knows what their next step will look like and what actions should be taken to move from one step to the next. 
4. You can see possible obstacles. By having a coaching model and action plan, you may anticipate where potential barriers may arise and how to best address them.

7 best models for life coaches

Every coaching model has its upsides and downsides. Look through these seven popular models, consider which fits you best, and then adapt it to your wants and needs. 

GROW

GROW is an effective model widely used in communication and leadership to uncover people’s opportunities and inner potential. Created by John Whitmore and his colleagues in the 1980s, GROW is aimed at helping clients set and meet goals, improve business performance, and achieve success in their personal and professional lives.

Take the following steps to apply the model:

1. Set a goal. Define the goal that inspires the client. It can be something personal, such as a shift in attitude towards something, or something career-focused, such as finding a new job. These are some questions you may ask to determine the client’s goal:

• What is most significant to you?
• Is there anything concrete you want to achieve?
• Why do you want to fulfill this goal?

2. Discover the reality. Try to understand your client’s existing reality and problems to find ways to deal with them. To make the client look at their situation from different angles, ask the following questions:

• How would you describe the state you’re in now?
• Have you already done something to change your current state?
• What might slow down your progress?
• Who are people around you who can help?

3. Find options. Consider what other options the client has to achieve the desired change. To identify them, consider the answers to these questions:

• What actions have helped you to achieve success in the past?
• Are you willing to try any ideas now?
• What would you do if money and time were not a barrier?
• What would change if someone offered help?

4. Specify the will. Decide on steps, activities, and the program duration to make the client aware of what to expect and get them to commit to act. To encourage the client to take action, you may ask the following:

• What will you do next?
• What can you start with right away?
• How long will it take?
• Do you have someone who needs to be involved?

Tip: If you want to dive deep into the coaching profession and learn more about the GROW model, John Withmore’s book Coaching for Performance is the right source to start with. 

Here are some tips on where to use the GROW model for the best possible effect:

1. During meetings. GROW offers a practical framework to provide structured meetings and keep participants’ attention throughout the process.
2. For performance assessments. GROW helps people review their performance on their own by responding to relevant questions. The model can help a person evaluate their skills, possible approaches for development, and ways to stay committed to their goals.
3. To help others. With the help of the GROW model, we can help our family and friends identify problems, become more self-aware, find out what they really want, and observe and weigh situations from the right perspective. 

Pros and cons of the GROW model

The GROW model often prevails for several reasons:

• It empowers the client to take responsibility for their progress.
• GROW is a universal framework that can be used in various types of sessions (video calls, personal meetings, phone conversations, etc.). 

However, as with any model, there are some weaknesses. GROW won’t be effective for a client who doesn’t like brainstorming or who lacks the motivation to reach their goal.

POSITIVE

Vincenzo Libri developed the POSITIVE model of coaching. With his coaching model, he strove to inspire people to unlock their potential and shift to long-term thinking.

The POSITIVE model can be applied by following these steps:

1. Clarify the client’s goal. You may ask your client questions such as:

• What’s your dream?
• What do you expect from our coaching?
• How can I help you achieve your goals as your coach?
• What else may be needed from your side to maximize the positive effect of our work?

2. Observe. Help your client look at their current situation from different angles to become more conscious of themselves, their strengths, available opportunities, and blockers. Ask the client questions like these:

• What’s going on with you now?
• How do you feel about that?
• How would achieving your goal make you feel?
• How might your life change?
• Have you already tried to do something to accomplish this?

3. Set a SMART goal. Setting a SMART goal means setting a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Questions to ask:

• Can you rate the necessity of your goal on a scale of 1 to 10?
• Can you visualize your success?
• How long may it take you to reach your goal?

4. Provide your client with insight into their own strengths. Help your client believe in their strengths and success by asking your client to: 

• Rate their excitement about the outcome on a scale from 1 to 10
• Rate the complexity of the process
• Consider the number of obstacles that could get in the way

5. Create a support team. The client will more easily reach their goal and will be more encouraged if they feel supported by friends, loved ones, and colleagues. You can help a client find such people by asking:

• Who do you trust?
• Who has already helped you overcome difficulties?
• Who owns resources that may help you achieve this goal?

6. Initiate the goal. Now you can start to move on and define the following:

• What to start with
• How often you’ll meet with the client
• What you’ll do if problems occur
• Etc.

7. Break the goal into smaller steps. Agree on small, regular actions and encourage the client to do them on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. 

CLEAR

The CLEAR coaching model was developed in the 1980s by Peter Hawkins, an honorary president of the Association of Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision. The CLEAR model allows you to collaborate more effectively with the client.

The CLEAR model includes the following steps:

1. Contracting. Discuss with the client what outcomes they expect to reach.
2. Listening. Listen attentively to your client’s personal view of the situation.
3. Exploring. Discover what options are available to the client to improve their current circumstances.
4. Action. Agree with the client on the next steps that need to be taken to reach the goal.
5. Review. Review what decisions have been made and gather client feedback to understand whether your sessions are helping the client or what has to be improved. 

STEPPA

The STEPPA coaching model facilitates the client’s motivation with a focus on their emotions. STEPPA can help you, as a coach, evoke the right range of emotions regarding the client’s goals, making the client more involved in coaching.

To make the STEPPA model work, do the following:

1. Agree on the subject to be on the same page. Explore what outcome the client wants to achieve at the end of coaching.
2. Identify the target. Prepare and present an action plan to achieve the client’s goals.
3. Understand the client’s emotions. Help the client evoke the right range of emotions to encourage them to act and achieve their goals. 
4. Strengthen the client’s perception of their goals. Urge the client to think deeply and creatively about how their goal can be reached, considering viable choices.
5. Create a step-by-step action plan. Outline what actions should be taken at precise dates and times.
6. Act. Evaluate and reflect on what has been planned and done so far and whether the whole plan seems realistic.

OSCAR

The OSCAR coaching model evolved from the GROW model, allowing a coach to make the client more self-aware. This model was developed in 2002 by British coaches Andrew Gilbert and Karen Whittleworth. Most notably, with the OSCAR model, you as the coach prompt the client to act and decide on their own by asking open-ended questions.

This is how you can apply the OSCAR model step by step: 

1. Outcome. Help the client discover what they’re striving for to set the right objectives. This can help you define what prevents the client from achieving their goal. 
2. Situation. Describe to the client their current situation in full to understand the connection between where they are now and where they are heading and see what the gap looks like. 
3. Choices. Make the client recognize opportunities to close this gap. Discuss possible actions, the upsides and downsides of each option, and how long it can take to see the result.
4. Actions. Once you identify what keeps the client from reaching their goal, prompt the client to close the gap. As an example, you may ask, What are you going to do? or How long do you think it may take?
5. Review. Then decide on methods to check the client’s progress towards the goal. You can select specific dates to discuss what has already been done.

ACHIEVE 

The ACHIEVE model makes a coaching experience more flexible. It includes collecting feedback with the help of open-ended questions and client involvement in the coaching process. ACHIEVE is built upon the GROW model and assumes a higher level of cooperation between the coach and the client.

Let’s take a look at the steps to apply the ACHIEVE model:

1. Assess the current situation. You should actively listen to the client and ask questions to define where the client is. For example, you may ask:

• How does your work look?
• What problems do you encounter?
• What do you currently want to change the most?

2. Creative brainstorming, or exploring alternatives. You should help the client see the current situation from various perspectives. The following questions will help with finding options: 

• What behavioral patterns can you change to get closer to your goal?
• What actions can help you succeed?
• Have you thought of different ways to manage the situation?

3. Hone goals. This is when you start to discuss goals with the client. Focus on the following questions and suggestions to help the client identify and set the right goals:

• Can you specify the goal you'd like to work on?
• Can you determine your key objectives?
• How do you visualize your success?
• What smaller steps can you split your goal into?
• Can we agree on how to track progress toward your goal?

4. Initiate options. Broaden the client’s focus to discover more possibilities to reach the goal. Ask questions like these:

• Let's look at this situation differently. Are there other options to achieve your goal?
• Could other people do something for you to help you achieve what you want?
• What would you do if you had no time limits?

5. Evaluate options. Gauge the options you created with the client to prioritize and pick the best ones. Consider asking the following questions:

• Can you evaluate the pros and cons of each option?
• What options pose a higher risk?
• What options most benefit your life/business/relationships?

6. Valid action program design (design an action plan). Create an action plan with the help of the following questions:

• What is your first (second, third, etc.) step?
• When will you start and finish your process?
• How will you evaluate progress during each coaching phase?

7. Encourage momentum. Keep the client motivated and encourage them at each step by acknowledging achievements, providing feedback, and asking questions:

• How do you feel about your progress?
• Do you face any barriers?
• How many steps have you already completed?
• How do you feel about where you are now?

FUEL 

The FUEL model is relatively similar to the GROW model, yet it is more flexible, developed to achieve positive behavioral changes and improve coach–client relationships.

Let’s delve into the four critical steps of the FUEL model:

1. Frame. This stage is not just about goal setting. You should set the conversation in the right direction and define the following:

• Client’s pain points. You may say, What should we talk about first?
• The purpose of cooperation. Clarify with the client what they want to achieve at the end of the session. 
• Settle the process. Define how you will work with the client, and make sure they agree. 

2. Understand. Establish where the client is now. Recognize the client’s behavioral patterns and deep-rooted beliefs that should be changed or reinforced to see results. Ask the following to make those clear:

• Why is this situation challenging for you?
• What has led to this situation?
• Why is your goal significant?
• What would happen if the situation did not change?
• What are the long-term benefits of reaching the goal?

Also, share your point of view about the client’s situation and possible outcomes after achieving the result. 

3. Explore. Help the client to envision what their success may look like. Ask the client, How would your ideal reality look? Describe to the client how you see their success and show a few alternatives from your perspective. Additionally, ask the client what obstacles may come their way and how to prevent them.

4. Lay. Eventually, you can create an action plan, determine obstacles, and decide on the client’s desired result. Consider these questions for your final step:

• What actions will you undertake to achieve the goal?
• Who will help you stay committed to your goal?
• What else can I do for you?
• When will be the next time we review your progress?

Summing up

You can guide your client towards success more effectively with a suitable coaching model. Yet apart from providing services and helping clients, you will have various organizational and business duties as part of your coaching routine. Doing all of them manually is time-consuming and difficult. Comprehensive software can ease your coaching and automate every stage of your workflow, letting you focus on your actual work — supporting clients.